Over the recent years, there has been an outstanding spread of computing machines as typified by personal computers, in which a technology of the computing machine is employed for executing a variety of information processes of mobile phones, copying apparatuses, home routers, etc. A characteristic of the technology of the computing machine is that the computing machine includes a memory device such as a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory), processes data stored on the memory, stores the data as a result of being processed on the memory and thus executes processing the information in some cases. Namely, it is characteristic of these apparatuses to include a memory area in which to execute one or both of reading and writing the data.
Over the recent years, there has arisen a request for reducing the power consumption of the computing machine. Motivations, on which this request is based, are exemplified such as decreasing a power cost and preventing a malfunction of the computing machine due to an emission of the heat. Further, battery-driven apparatuses are demanded to extend a period of operating time, and so on. There are other multiple requests. The request for reducing the power consumption of the computing machine is subdivided into a request for reducing the power consumption of the memory device included in the computing machine.
In response to this request, e.g., the memory area is segmented into a plurality of segments called banks, and a power supply to the segment not containing valid data is stopped. In this connection, there is disclosed a technology targeted at yielding an effect in reducing the power consumption of the memory device.
Considered herein is a Web Tabbed Browser on which plural Web pages are opened. In this case, nothing is processed on a Web screen deployed by a user in the background. Nevertheless, the memory area for rendering the Web screen remains retained (or operated).
Alternatively, even in the case of booting a plurality of software components such as word processor software and spreadsheet software, the user operates one software component and therefore does not execute processing the software components other than the software being operated. Nevertheless, the memory areas for these software components remain retained, and, if there are a good number of retained memory areas, a problem is that the effect in reducing the power consumption is small.